Baseball glove and mitt



Feb. 23, 1943. H. B. LATINA BASEBALL GLOVE AND MITT Z5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Oct. 24, 1941 INVENTOR; HA1? Y 5. LATINA. 5y m2w.

HTTOHNEY Feb. 23, 1943 H. B. LATINA BASEBALL GLOVE AND MITT 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Oct. 24, 1941 FIGZ.

INVENTOR HARRY B. LAT/NA TTORNEY Feb. 23, 1943. H. B. LATINA 2,311,949

BASEBALL GLOVE AND MITT Filed Oct. 24, 1941 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR HARRY 5. LA77NA BY KM H TTORNE Y Patented Feb. 23, 1943 2,311,949 BASEBALL GLOVE AND MITT Harry B. Latina, East St. Louis, 111., assignors to Rawlings Manufacturing Company, St. Louis, Mo., a corporation of Missouri Application October 24, 1941, Serial No. 416,299

2 Claims.

This invention relates to baseball gloves and mitts.

The main object of my invention is to provide a baseball glove or mitt that is stronger and less liable to rip than gloves or mitts of conventional design, and which is of such construction that when it is in use, greater freedom of action is provided for the users hand and fingers.

Another object is to provide a novel and inexpensive means for effectively overcoming the tendency of the seams of a baseball glove or mitt to rip at the crotch between two fingers, or between the thumb and forefinger.

And still another object of my invention is to eliminate or overcome the necessity of using a sewed seam at the inner end of the crotch between adjacent fingers of a baseball glove, or between the thumb and forefinger of a baseball mitt or glove. Other objects and desirable features of my invention will be hereinafter pointed out.

In baseball gloves of conventional construction the parts, commonly referred to as fourchettes that constitute either the side portions or the back and side portions of the fingers, are joined to finger extensions on the palm portion of the glove by sewed seams which extend continuously around the edges of the finger extensions and transversely across the inner ends of the gaps or notches between the finger extensions on the palm portion. These transversely-disposed portions of the seams between the fourchettes and the finger extensions on the palm portion are more liable to rip or tear than the remaining portions of said seams, due to the spreading action of the users fingers and the relatively great strain exerted on the fingers of the glove by a caught ball, and still another objectionable inherent characteristic of a glove of the above described construction is that the relatively stiff, transversely-disposed seams at the base of the fingers, or at the inner ends of the finger crotches, restrict the spreading action of the users fingers and interfere with the free movement of the users hand and fingers when the glove is in use. The foregoing is also true of the crotch between the thumb and forefinger of baseball gloves and baseball mitts.

I have devised a glove that has none of the above mentioned objectionable characteristics, and which is distinguished from baseball gloves of conventional design, in that it comprises flexible crotch pieces that extend rearwardly from the palm portion between the fingers, and

thence, downwardly between the fourchettes to the top edge of the hand opening in the back of the glove. Said crotch pieces may be incorporated in either the lining or the outer shell of the glove, and they may either be formed from integral extensions on the palm portion, or from separate pieces of leather or other flexible or pliable material attached in any suitable way to either the inside face or the outside face of the outer shell or the lining of the glove.

Figure 1 of the drawings is a front perspective view of a baseball glove embodying my invention.

Figure 2 is a rear perspective view of the glove shown in Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a sectional view, taken on the line 3-3 of Figures 1 and 2.

Figure 4 is a plan view of the piece of material that constitutes the palm portion of the glove before said piece is attached to the back fourchettes; and

Figure 5 is a view similar of Figure 4, illustrating a modification of my invention.

In Figures 1, 2 and 3 of the drawings, A designates the palm portion of the glove, which is provided with integral finger sections I that constitute the front sides of the fingers, and an integral thumb section 2 that constitutes the front side of the thumb of the glove. Said palm portion A is also provided with a plurality of integral extensions or crotch pieces B, which, in the completed glove, extend rearwardly from the palm portion, across the crotches between the fingers, and are attached by sewed seams to the back fourchettes or parts C of the glove. As shown in Figure 2, the crotch pieces B extend downwardly between the fourchettes C to the top edge of the hand opening a: in the back of the glove, and hence, the terminal portions of said crotch pieces constitute part of the back of the glove.

This method of constructing a baseball glove eliminates strains on the seams at the points where the finger sections of the palm portion are joined to the back fourchettes at the base of the fingers, and it produces a strong rip-proof glove that provides more freedom of action for the users fingers when the glove is in use, due to the fact that there are no transversely-disposed, stiff seams at the inner ends of the finger sections, and the bases of the fingers are separated from each other by solid pieces of leather that extend rearwardly from the palm portion, across the finger crotches. Preferably, a similar integral crotch piece B on the palm portion is provided for reinforcing and strengthening the seam between the thumb section 2 of the palm portion and the back fourchette C at the base said part C is attached to a back fourchette' I that constitutes one-half of the rear side of the forefinger. The crotch pieces above described,

instead of constituting integral .parts of the palm portion A, may be formed from separate pieces of leather or other suitable material, attached by stitches or in any other suitable way to either the top or bottom face of said palm portion A. Obviously, my invention contemplates a construction in which the parts that constitute the front, sides of the fingers and/or thumb, are either integrally attached to the palm portion,

or are formed from separate pieces of leather or other suitable material that are attached to the palm portion. Thus, as shown in Figure 5, the crotch pieces E for the gaps between the fingers of the glove are formed by extensions on a piece of leather or other suitable material E that is secured by stitches 5 to the palm portion A of the glove, said piece of material E with the integral crotch pieces E thereon being fastened to either the inner side or to the outer side of the palm portion A. While I prefer to mount the crotch pieces on the palm portion of the glove, I

as previously described, so that said crotch pieces will extend rearwardly from the front side of the glove across the crotches, and attach the terminal parts of said crotch pieces to the back part of the glove, in the operation of sewing the glove, my invention contemplates incorporating the crotch pieces in the back part of the glove in any suitable Way, so that said crotch pieces will extend forwardly through the crotches and then securing the terminal portions of said crotch pieces to the palm portion of the glove, in the operation of sewing up the glove. Similarly, the crotch pieces for the gap between the thumb and forefinger of the glove may be formed from a separate piece of material secured by stitches or in any other suitable way to the palm portion or to the back of the glove.

The glove shown in Figures 1 and 2 has another novel feature, to wit, a lacing J disposed in the edge portion of the crotch between the thumb and forefinger. Said lacing is formed from a thong of leather or the like, which, after being threaded, through holes or eyelets formed in the edge portion of the lower end of the crotch between the thumb and forefinger, is drawn taut, so as to pull the thumb inwardly towards the forefinger, and cause the palm portion of the glove to assume the shape of a ball pocket ln addition to securely holding the ball pocket in V shape, the lacing J acts as a'reinforcement' for any seams in the vicinity of said lacing. I i

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire 'to secure by Letters Patent is: 1

l. A baseball glove having fingers formed by back fourchettes and extensions onthe palm portion of the glove, said 'fourchettes and extensions being joined together by sewed seams, and crotch pieces extending rearwardly fromfthe palm portion, between the fingers, and thence downwardly to the top edge of the hand opening in theback of the glove, the side edgesof said crotch pieces being sewed to the back fourchettes.

2. A baseball glove of the kind described in claim 1, in which said crotch pieces are, integrally connected to the palm portion of the glove.

HARRY B. LA'I'INA. 

